A coalition of environmental groups earlier this week demonstrated outside the Yunlin County Government building, calling for a direct and transparent selection process for the future director of the Environmental Protection Bureau to end a perceived collusion between the county government and operators of the naphtha cracker in the county’s Mailiao Township (麥寮).
Dozens of protesters called for a direct and democratic appointment process to allow county residents to vote for worthy candidates, while saying that they had collected about 600 signatures to nominate Changhua Medical Alliance for Public Affairs consultant Yang Joe-ming (楊澤民) for the post.
Following the Sept. 24 resignation of former bureau director Tseng Chun-mei (曾春美), the county government said Tseng’s successor would be determined through a public vote.
Describing the selection process as a “black-box” operation, environmental campaigner and leader of the coalition Wu Sung-lin (吳松霖) said the county has refused to reveal the identity of candidates or the criteria for selection.
“How could [Yunlin Commissioner] Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) honor his pledge to put the naphtha cracker under strict monitoring if he is not willing to disclose information on the selection process of the bureau director? What is Lee hiding from the public?” Wu said.
“Lee has nothing to hide if he is not worried that a directly elected bureau director would root out illicit financial activities or disclose the secrets of emissions licenses illegally issued by the county government,” Wu added.
Wu added that former bureau directors were inactive in dealing with air pollution caused by the naphtha cracker, while issuing or renewing operating licenses for the cracket plant without due process.
If the county bureau is really determined to combat air pollution and regulating oil refinery emissions, it would not have issued only one fine to the Formosa Plastics Group — owner of the cracker plant — totaling only NT$100,000 in the past five years, he said.
The coalition called for the disclosure of the selection process and the identity of applicants, as well as public debates, with the final result to be reached by a direct election.
The county government said that it has been following due procedure in announcing the candidacy standards and selection process for the position, but it must withhold disclosing the identity of candidates, as personal information must be protected.
Lee later said that four qualified candidates have applied for the position so far, and the county government would reach as soon as possible.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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